Gilmore Begins

We Ask For A Gentler Leader Who Puts Virginia First

January 20, 1998

Today is the first official workday of the Gilmore administration for most state employees. Although the presence of the General Assembly in Richmond gives the impression of a lot of activity, Monday's holiday gave most state workers one more day to wait for the transition.

But certainly state employees should be at the top of the list of people who are more relaxed about the changes they face today than they were four years ago. By this time in his tenure, former Gov. George Allen had asked 400 top state employees to resign, had said he would cut about 15,000 state jobs during his four-year term and had repeatedly derided state employees during his campaign.

We have heard none of that from Gilmore. Instead he held out a hand of friendship to state employees in his Inaugural Address on Saturday. Nor have we heard the other partisan rhetoric that made Allen hero or nemesis for many Virginians.

The fractiousness in the General Assembly over political power means that Gilmore comes to the governor's office at a difficult time for a politician who would be inclusive, who would bridge political differences, who would try to serve the Virginia mainstream, who would ignore the extremists of all ideologies.

And yet, difficult or not, that is exactly what we ask Gilmore to be - a leader who can work for the majority regardless of political affiliation, who listens to every point of view and steers a middle course.

We're not so naive that we think Gilmore will ignore his supporters or fail to reward them, and we won't always agree about how to best serve the common good. But we hope Gilmore will let all sides be represented in meaningful discussions.

Virginia has come a long way since the recession of the early 1990s, but it still has a long way to go to develop a strong, diverse economy with a talented work force that can withstand such future assaults. We depend on Gilmore to keep our state and our society moving.